The Anglo-American Protestant culture, described by Samuel Huntington, is built on two main ideas: individual responsibility and work ethic. Anglo-Protestants take more pride in their work and are able to be individually responsible for themselves. They are so motivated to work and try hard because if they do, they will be a good Christian. John Grady Cole, in All the Pretty Horses, is portrayed as a boy who has prematurely aged, who values intelligence, justice, responsibility, and skill. John Grady Cole represents a worldview that relates to the Anglo-Protestant cultural worldview described by Samuel Huntington by emphasizing individual responsibility throughout his journey.
John Grady Cole represents individual responsibility, like the Anglo-Protestants by migrating as a cowboy with only friends to the Mexican border, wanting to live the legacy of his grandfather. They face a lot of adversity and lose connection from one another, allowing Grady to show off his responsible nature. Grady is clearly more individually responsible than Blevins. Since Blevins was afraid of lightning, he hid in a ditch and couldn’t be individually responsible for his own horse and fear. When Rawlins and Grady were being tortured and interrogated, it was Rawlins who made the false confession– falsely turning themselves in to go to prison. While living in a very dangerous and violent prison, John Grady Cole was able to stand up against a wealthy prisoner asking to be bribed. He was just being individually responsible for his cowboy culture, refusing to ally him. This caused him to become a target and under attack. During the attack, he is able to physically fight for himself, coming out injured but victorious. He’s sent to the infirmary and then get’s let out of the prison before completely healing. He then has to be individually responsible for his health, his culture and problems. He is trying to win Alejandra over, so John Grady Cole’s maturity and individual responsibility illuminates throughout the journey, preparing for his future with a lady. He finds out that Alejandra can’t leave her family for him, so he keeps a strong connection with his own culture as a cowboy, retrieving his horses. He then crosses back into Texas, finding out that he does not have a home, a father, a ranch or friends.
The death of John Grady Cole’s grandfather ignited the journey for John which is a symbol for his maturity and individual responsibility. His mother wants to sell the ranch, so it is now his responsibility to keep the family culture alive. A lot of weight was put on his shoulders after his loss, and he handled it as an Anglo-Protestant would. He made many responsible decisions through difficult circumstances. He made individual decisions that he knew were justified and proper. When he didn’t, like when he confessed of killing a man, he was backed up and told that sometimes those sorts of things must be done. His journey made him grow exponentially as a responsible individual, highlighting one of the key aspects of Anglo-Protestant culture. He kept pursuing through adversity and watching out for himself– everything an Anglo-Protestant would want to be a good Christian.
4 replies on “Short Essay #3”
This essay was very well written, and I found one of the best aspects of the writing was the organization. In the opening paragraph, you do a great job of explaining the situation for both the Anglo-Protestant cultural worldview described by Samuel Huntington as well as for John Grady Cole. Additionally, your ideas are clear, as you specifically state that John Grady Cole does relate to the view of the Anglo-Protestant culture. In the second paragraph, you use great examples that are specific, which help demonstrate important characteristics of John Grady Cole. In the final paragraph, you conclude your ideas nicely by connecting your ideas back to your main argument. A suggestion I have for your essay would be to include more ideas on the Anglo-Protestant cultural worldview described by Samuel Huntington. You do touch on the idea, but you could add some more details on this topic to better strengthen your argument.
I feel that this essay was extremely well organized and the argument was crafted effectively. Individualism is a vital aspect of the Anglo-Protestant culture and you proved that John Grady Cole is very individualistic successfully. In your first paragraph you address the idea that the motivation to try hard and do well is driven by the desire to be a good Christian, however John Grady Cole is not necessarily very religious. I think it would be beneficial if you addressed this in your short essay. By acknowledging this fact, you will be addressing a potential counterargument which will only benefit your argument. It is also possible to explore the idea that even though John Grady Cole is not set in specific religious beliefs, he is not opposed to religion and considers it frequently. It effects him in unique ways. Overall, however, I found this essay to be particularly insightful and well thought out.
The layout of your essay is very strong and communicates a clear message. It has a very well defined timeline and you tie the pieces about the Anglo-Protestant links well. I think at some points when you are discussing the Anglo-Protestant areas, it might be advantageous to give a few words to describe some of the ideas and values. The last paragraph ties the short essay together well and concludes all of the ideas discussed throughout the paper to a close.
After reading your essay and reviewing it in class, I found it to be very interesting, well written, and well organized. Furthermore, your argument was clear, as you do a good job in your introduction paragraph to introduce the topic as well as your ideas. Additionally, your second paragraph of John Grady Cole is filled with great examples that provide evidence to your argument. In your final paragraph, you conclude your thoughts nicely and give a good recap of your paper. One possible suggestion I have on your paper would be to add some more information on the Anglo-Protestant culture. While you do mention some information on it, you can add more details on it to help give more information on the topic. Another way to improve your paper is to give more examples on John Grady Cole’s work ethic. The majority of your examples are good, but they are about individual responsibility. Therefore, to strengthen your argument you make in the first paragraph, you can add an example about work ethic. For instance, you could mention John Grady Cole’s determination to return Blevins’ horse to his family.